Colonia lies across the River Plate from Buenos Aires, so I took the ferry there for a day trip.

Colonia - reconstructed defensive works

The historic part of town lies on a little bulge of land sticking out into the water, a short walk from the ferry terminal. The bulge has water on three sides, making it a good defensible location for the Portuguese to found a settlement in the seventeenth century.

Colonia - cobbled charm

It’s a very small place, with some old houses, the remains of defensive walls and towers and a quiet cobbled charm. I spent a surprising amount of time on the top of an early lighthouse tower that is rather incongruously grafted on to a ruined church. There was a lovely breeze and a great view.

Colonia - River Plate

Other than that, I visited some small and curious museums (the one of pre-conquest rock tools was also spectacularly dull), had a nice lunch, some very tasty ice cream and got soaked in a sudden rainstorm which meant I had to wade through streets on my way back to the boat, which departed an hour late.

Colonia

At a loss for anything else to build, I went for the lighthouse, even though it is not from the colonial era: